Tuesday, December 13, 2011

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recently announced its plan to conduct a National Customs Automation Program (NCAP) test concerning Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) entry capability. According to CBP’s General Notice, the new trial will test entry filing via a process known as Simplified Entry, which will be filed in lieu of filing a Form 3461 or its electronic equivalent.

Simplified Entry is intended to simplify the entry process by allowing participants to submit twelve (12) required and three (3) optional data elements to CBP at any time before the imported goods arrive, as follows:

1. Ship to party name and address2. Consolidator name and address3. Container stuffing location

The Simplified Entry may not be filed in lieu of an entry summary, which still must be made in ACE. CBP has limited this initial phase to entries that are not under the admissibility jurisdiction of Other Government Agencies (OGAs). It also will limit to air shipments.

CBP has chosen the following nine brokers to participate in the pilot program, which is expected to begin at the end of 2011/beginning of 2012:

Trade Associations

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